Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. I love this series and was delighted to be granted an ARC for this latest festive installment. It was enjoyable to be returned to the world of the salvage girls, and I enjoyed catching up with them again. Although there wasn't much of the book centred on Christmas, it was still an engaging and enjoyable read. I was invested in the story, particularly Betty's.

Christmas for the Homefront Girls is the third book in the Homefront Girls series by Susanna Bavin. This book can be read at any stage during the winter season as it’s not a fully blown Christmas book. Rather it is centred around the festive season, the lead up to it and what follows well into the new year. I have enjoyed this series so far as the stories are light easy reads typical of the war time saga genre. You know what you are going to get with this sort of read and it was perfect to read in that in between period that comes between Christmas and New Year when you just want to cosy up on the couch and enjoy a nice easy book.

Within the first few chapters readers are quickly brought up to speed with events from the previous two books. It serves as a refresher for previous readers and an introduction without being overly long for those coming to the series for the first time. Although, I will say that as I got further into the book I did think at certain points that just that little bit too much detail was given away as to things that had already occurred and maybe this should have been curtailed in some way for new readers. But having read the previous two books this didn’t detract in any way from my own personal reading and understanding of the story.

The series follows three girls, Sally, Betty and Lorna who all work at the local salvage depot. They each have different backgrounds and stories which you will soon become familiar with. But the one thing that unites them is that are all willing, steadfast and determined that they will do their bit for the war effort no matter the challenges that come their way nor no matter how long the duration of the war is. It’s December 1940 when we become reacquainted with the girls and they are looking forward to Christmas although it won’t be the same as other years but they will make the best with what they have. Throughout the book there are glimpses of all the changes and sacrifices that the characters have so far have had to make and given it is so early on in the long scheme of war (although very much unbeknownst to them) there is an air of hope that things might be over before too long. Now knowing what came one wonders would this air of optimism have lasted if they had known the duration and the horrors that would come their way for several years.

Sally is happily married to Andrew who works at a local school but also has another more serious job alongside his voluntary war work. The couple along with his mother Mrs. Henshaw had been bombed out from their home and now reside at Star Boarding House run by Mrs. Beaumont as do Betty and Lorna. Sally is the manager of the depot but Mrs. Lockwood still makes an appearance every now and again sticking her oar in when it’s not needed at all. Sally took more of a backseat in this story and allowed the other two girls to come to the fore. Although when she receives some unexpected news that will turn her life upside down I did feel desperately sorry for her. But she was stoic in how she dealt with it and it highlighted the bravery of so many women in a similar situation to hers at the time. I wanted a bit more detail and exploration regarding Sally’s storyline, but I sense this will come in the next book.

Betty is enjoying her relationship with Samuel who runs a bookshop. He is the most endearing man whom for medical reasons can’t enlist. It’s clear that Betty is the apple of his eye and that he would do anything for her without question. Theirs was a lovely relationship to observe and I wanted them to take things to the next level but there was few stumbling blocks in their path in order for this to happen. Namely a debt that is owed by Betty, the reasons for which I won’t go into as this was explored in the previous book. Suffice to say Betty puts herself under an awful lot of pressure to clear it. Working by day at the salvage depot, fire watching by night and then taking on an extra job at a factory. She is running herself to the ground but will it be all worth it? Taking the job at the factory allowed another storyline to develop but again I felt this was too brief and came too late in the book as did a storyline involving Lorna. The book was going along for the majority of the time at a nice pace with not much in particular happening. Yes, I was interested in their daily lives but there needed to be a little bit more excitement. This did come but too late in the book in my opinion. Having the two events I am alluding two occur around the midway point would have been better I feel.

Lorna is the character who has grown the most since we were first introduced to her. She comes from a privileged background very different to that of Sally and Betty. But a recent breach of promise case brought about by her father due to Lorna being jilted by her fiancée George has brought shame upon her and her family have sent her away. She now has a taste of independence and is really getting stuck into her work at the salvage depot. Her friendship and bond with Sally and Betty is growing after a rocky start and altogether she just seems more down to earth and aware of what the ordinary people are going through all around her. She seems to have less of an attitude and is willing to be one of the girls who muck in together when times are hard both personally and professionally. The community spirit and sense of a new unique family unit is starting to grow but still she longs for love like her two friends have.

Lorna is caught in an air raid on her way home from Manchester city centre. This event goes on to be known as the Christmas Blitz and this section of the book was incredibly well written and allowed for subplots to develop. Everything was so dramatic and vivid that I could feel the heat from the explosions and visualise the buildings crumbling. Lorna really stepped up and showed her true nature when she becomes involved in a rescue and she gets the shock of her life when she encounters George who shouldn’t be there at all. After this event Lorna has George on her mind an awful lot but can she dare to hope and dream that they could give things another go? A lot of things have been said and hearts crushed but is too late for them? Since this had all occurred, she had fought for a new life for herself and was doing so well in establishing it but if she went back to the past would this all come crumbling down? Or should she try and follow her heart? I felt for her because she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had battled for her independence but yet there was that softer side to her that wanted to be loved by someone. She is a modern girl with wartime responsibilities but still what the heart wants the heart will keep seeking.

All in all Christmas for the Homefront Girls was an enjoyable read showing how the Blitz would never break the spirits of the girls or their families. They are all hard workers dedicated to the cause and women stepped into the men’s roles with spirit, passion and grace and the war would not have been won without them keeping the home fires burning. Respect, loyalty, dedication, sacrifices, friendship and love are just some of the words I would use to describe Sally, Betty, Lorna and their exploits. Despite the slow pace of the first half things did pick up in the later half and I found myself getting much more into the story. As it’s only Easter 1941 when the book closes I get the sense there are an awful lot more challenging times ahead for the girls and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next. A Wedding for the Warfront Girls will be published in May and I look forward to catching up with the trio then.

"The Blitz won’t break their spirits. And with Christmas approaching, can love really conquer all?"


I have been known to 'wax lyrical' about another WWII series, written by this author under one of her other pseudonyms. However, I do believe that 'The Home Front Girls' saga is possibly going to become my new best favourite!

Whilst I urge you to begin reading this series from the start, as character progression is as important as the storyline itself - and you really don't want to miss out on a single event! - the three books to date, would work fine as individual stand alone stories, as author Susanna Bavin expertly weaves in necessary backstory details, without them becoming either onerous for any confirmed series addicts, or too vague for any first time readers.

An important, meticulously researched and documented piece of social history, wrapped around an emotional, heart-warming, often heart-breaking story of stoicism, commitment and unconditional devotion to family, friends and nameless strangers, often in the face of great personal danger.

Having worked in a retail capacity for various charities over the course of some thirty years, I would like to think myself to be all too cognisant of the concept of recycling and repurposing. However, the extreme measures involved in reusing almost every salvageable item to aid the war effort in whatever way possible, was something I had never really given a lot of thought to, even though other authors had touched on the subject in their wartime stories. This book is replete with so much detail about the many varied aspects and importance of salvage work, that I could almost imagine myself working alongside Sally, Betty and Lorna, as they went about their daily chores - getting that same feeling of satisfaction and thoroughly enjoying it as much as they seem to. There's nothing like rolling up your sleeves and putting in some good hard graft together, to build friendships, break down class barriers and feel as though you are making a difference, even though there has been and always probably will be, those who would seek to profit from someone else's misery, no matter what the circumstances. The girls are not ones to take these injustices lying down though, so to see them working together to 'out' the bad guys, was something to behold.

This particular episode in the series was made even more poignant as Christmas approached, a time when separation and loss sat side by side with love, togetherness and making the best of whatever happiness the season could offer. Each of the girls had only recently found their 'reason for being' - Sally as the new Mrs Henshaw married to Andrew; Betty with the love of her life Samuel the gentle bookseller; and Lorna who has, from a position of comfort and plenty, re-evaluated her priorities and finds herself forging a new path and building new networks. After a very traumatic, acrimonious and public break-up with what she had hoped would have been the love of her life, Lorna now finds herself becoming re-acquainted with a George she never knew existed and each likes what the other has become in the face of adversity - so might there be the slightest of chances for a new beginning together?

Susanna also writes about the locations she knows so well and has researched to the nth degree, so that when the Christmas Blitz was unleashed upon the City of Manchester and its many suburbs, I was once again taken on another journey alongside the three girls and their wider circle of friends and family, as they carried out their extra wartime roles as fire wardens, rescuers and WVS volunteers, over and above their 'day jobs', meaning that sleep or any short periods of relaxation, were few and far between. In the face of terrifying and untold danger, their selfless acts of bravery, heroism and courage were many, with the rewards of knowing that they had helped save a life or someone's home and livelihood, enough thanks in itself. It wasn't until a time much later following a successful rescue, that the girls allowed themselves breathing space to consider their own extended families, who were spread out across the area and to plan fleeting visits home in the hope that their respective neighbourhoods had been spared from the relentless bombing.

Vibrant and well-developed central and background characters I could relate to and invest in, although I suspect that each is about to be tested up to and beyond their limits of endurance, as the war intensifies and everyday life is set to become even more of a challenge to negotiate, albeit there is the bright promise of at least one wedding on the horizon to lighten the burden a little.

This is the third in the Homefront Girls series. It focuses on the friendships between Sally, Betty, and Lorna. They work at the Salvage Yard, and Fire watch duty, living together in the same boarding house. Lorna runs into George again, with a new girl on his arm, but all is not as it seems.

I love the friendship between these girls, and how they held down the home front during WWII and supported each other. They're also time for a little romance and some intrigue. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author of this ARC

In the third Home Front Girls novel, readers join Betty, Sally, and Lorna in Manchester during the dark and challenging winter of 1940 when the Blitz and the cold are continuing to relentlessly attack the British home front. Lorna, now part of the Women’s Voluntary Service, does not expect the holidays to reunite her with her ex-fiance George -- who has moved on with a new girl and chosen to not participate in the war effort. Having to balance her emotions with her duty, Lorna must negotiate the relationship boundaries with George in this difficult wartime winter. With excellent characters and a charming friendship among Betty, Sally, and Lorna, readers will relive the highs and lows of the British home front in this heartwarming and beautifully written novel. The characters are, of course, the star of the show, and Susanna Bavin has continued to develop the characters from the previous books in this latest instalment. For readers looking for vibrant and well-written historical fiction, strong female characters, and holiday cheer, this is the book for them. A fantastic addition to the series, Bavin succeeds in bringing wartime Manchester to life through the eyes of three strong and capable female leads in Betty, Sally, and Lorna.

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This was an uplifting WWII historical romance that put me right in the Christmas spirit. I loved the friendships between the female main characters, and I loved seeing how strong and resilient they were despite immense adversity.

This is book 3 in the Home Front Girls series, and I enjoyed it as much as book 1. I somehow missed reading book 2, so now I'm going to be picking it up soon!

Women who work at a salvage yard and live at a nearby boarding house are making the best of life with bombers coming at all different times, and helping where they all can.

First off, I'm not sure that those should be marketed as a Christmas book as Christmas features very little in it. I did find it a little slow paced up until after the first half of the book, then it picked up. I do love the friendship between Lorna, Betty and Sally. It's inspiring reading about life during WW2. This is definitely the weakest book in the series but it won't put me off reading anymore of them.

Christmas for the home front girls, the 3rd book in the series, catching up with Sally, Betty and Lorna. The 3 girls live at star house, a boarding house and work at the salvage yard during WW2. The story follows their lives as they juggle their war work and their often complicated lives. A great historical read with great characters, already looking forward to the next instalment ⭐️

I love historical fiction that features women during WWII and Christmas stories. This is a good mix and kept me reading and rooting for the characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Christmas for the Holiday Home Front Girls by Susanna Bavin is the story of those left behind to work on winning the war from home. All the women in the book had jobs, some paid, some volunteer that were moving the war effort forward, all both. The main characters are Betty, who was nearly engaged to Samuel; Sally, who was married to Andrew; and Lorna, who had created a scandal by suing for breach of promise after her broken engagement. They all worked at what would now be called a recycling center. It was dirty work but it had to be done. That fact came in handy later while the government was solving a crime and used Lorna’s job to help. Lorna had been returning from an appointment when there was a bombing raid. After it was over, she helped some people out of some tight situations, primarily because she was small and could fit through the openings. When it was all over and the masks came off, it turned out she had been working with, George, her ex-fiance. If that wasn’t a twist. What was he doing in Manchester?

I love these stories. So often those at home are not recognized for their part in the war effort. It is a shame because there are so many stories. In this one these three women and their land lady worked together to make Christmas happen and well as Betty and Samuel’s wedding. Andrew’s mother, who lived in the boarding house with them was a good, hard-working character who determined to go live with her sister when Andrew left to be a soldier. She wanted Sally to go, too, but Sally stuck to her guns and stayed with her friends. No real plot, just a slice-of-life. It was a moving and heart-warming story, with touches of romance and so much more. Good read.

I was invited to read Christmas for the Home Front Girls by Bookoutre. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #SusannaBavin #ChristmasForTheHomeFrontGirls

Another book that continues from the other books and certainly this book is just as good as the other two.

Sally, Betty and Lorna continue to work at the salvage yard and also have their war duties helping out in the worst time of the war with the blitz of Manchester in where so many people lost their life’s. It show how the people were not defeated and took courage in carrying on.

The had romance and sadness as well and certainly was well researched the book carried on where it left of from the previous book and certainly was very interesting to read more.

The way it ended I hope there is more books in the series as it would be interesting to find out what happens to the woman.

Would recommend this book.

What a welcome return to the home front girls, one I wouldn’t have missed!
Sally is enjoying married life with Andrew, even learning to cope with the unexpected along the way, Betty is slowly getting used to living away from her dear father Trevor, mainly to keep away from his evil wife Grace who sees Betty as a threat to any attention she should be getting.
Sally is feeling quite comfortable in her role in charge of the salvage yard, even although the dreaded Mrs Lockwood is still on the go (could her days be numbered, I do hope so!) When there is an air raid Sally instantly helps out when someone is trapped, when the rescue squad speak to her afterwards she gets quite the shock on realising that the person is familiar to her, will it be a pleasure/unhappy experience?

I loved the girls were still enjoying staying at the boarding house and being looked after admirably by their “professional “ landlady.
Refreshing that Lorna was living her life her way and not living up to her parents aspirations.
My favourite character was Samuel, so sweet. Least favourite - I didn’t really have one, that’s a first for me.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love this series. Betty, Sally and Lorna are back. It’s December 1940 and The Blitz is in full swing. The girls of the Salvage Yard are trying to stay strong and get in the Christmas spirit. There was a great deal of heartache. The Blitz was devastating but the girls “carried on”.
If you are looking for a feel good read, this book is for you. It will fill your heart with love and hope.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is Book 3 in Susanna's The Home Front Girls Series, and this was the first one in the series I've read.

What a lovely book!

The story essentially follows 3 Home Front Girls during WW2, and this book focuses around Christmas and the sagas that occur.

I love reading books during this time as while it ws a horrendous time with regards to the war but it was a brilliant time of comradery, national support and resilience so I love reading about how all the different characters and jobs at the time supported the war effort.

I really enjoyed reading about the 3 different women in this period and their very different lives. Each woman is incredibly different, and I enjoyed meeting them and learning more about their lives during WW2.

It is evident that Savanna has done lots of research, and the story felt authentic and realistic as I read the pages.

It is a lovely book that offers a very different perspective of Christmas time.

Christmas for the Home Front Girls by Susanna Bavin is a sweet, nostalgic journey into the tenacity, spirit and enduring fortitude of the homefront during World War 2. This book is based in Manchester, 1940 during the blitz that occurred there, which is a departure from London, where many books of this era are based

The beauty of this book, is the focus on friendships and hope in the face of extreme adversity. It is book 3 in the series and I have previously read Book 2 - Courage for the Home Front Girls so I really need to balance it out and read book 1! The characters are so relatable that you feel you are revisiting old friends and that you are sharing their lives

A lovely read and perfect to cosy up with as the weather cools

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Susanna Bavin for this Lovely ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Oh, I've been looking forward to reading Christmas for the Home Front Girls - the latest book (#3) in Susanna Bavin's Home Front Girls series. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a wonderful series to read.

This latest book focuses on Betty, Sally and Lorna. Settling in to read this latest is like catching up with old friends. They all have back stories but you can absolute read this as a stand alone.

Christmas is the air - and unfortunately, so are the enemy bombers. Manchester is taking a beating, but they'll never give up. Bavin has done a wonderful job of capturing and presenting this time in history. The devastation and the losses don't stop the residents from adopting the the 'The 'Keep Calm and Carry On' attitude, looking out for your neighbours, the social mores, and family. There are lots of hard choices to be made - and duty to follow.

But life continues on - and romance is also in the air. I quite enjoyed this plot line very much. Making the most of what you have. And embracing life. I also enjoyed learning about how the shortages were dealt with and Christmas was celebrated.

And the big one is the relationship of the three. We all need friends like Betty, Sally and Lorna. I'm looking forward to another entry in this series.

We are back with the girls at Star House working at the salvage yard.Lorna has been jilted by Geroge,Betty is with Samuel and Sally is married to Andrew Henshaw.This tells of what happens next for the 3 girls through the bombings.I really enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookature.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I had read the earlier books in the series and though this could be read as a standalone the context is better if you have read the previous ones.
And you really should.

This book centres more around Lorna who appeared in book 2. To put too much more would provide enormous spoilers.

Christmas is a convenient time of year to set the book - but the privations of the war are well depicted.
So is the resilience of Mancunians in the Blitz.

As always this is well written and researched and it was a pleasure to meet up with the Salvage ladies again.
I hope we find out more about their lives and adventures - perhaps an after war story?