A.J. Pearce has not failed me yet with heartwarming WWII Homefront fiction that really highlights female friendship, rising above adversity, and finding your footing in tumultuous times. I love the edition of a personal villain to the bunch. It add humor and even more heart to a series that was already brimming with both.

Content Note: death of a parent, grief, war, minor cursing

Thanks to Simon Audio and Scribner for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

Mrs. Porter Calling is book three in the Emmy Lake series. Woman's Friend has found their niche and has a loyal readership but with the death of their long time owner and publisher they find themselves in limbo. In comes Mrs. Cressida Porter, niece of the former owner and newly willed owner. Cressida is of a much different class than the readers of Woman's Friend and she wants to publish something that her sort would like. The staff, less Mrs. Pye, find themselves once again trying to keep the magazine afloat and survive Mrs. Porter.
Once again Pearce does a great job of merging historical context of London during the war and the personal struggles of her characters. I did not like this one as much as I did the second in the series but that is more because of my strong dislike for Porter and Pye, which I guess is the point. But all of the struggles in the novel wrap up nicely in the end and rather quickly at that. I do like the series and will continue to read them since it is nice to have a war time series that does not revolve around a woman detective (which I do love but you occasionally need a break).

I loved this latest installment in AJ Pearce's WWII series. The characters were lovable and the (sometimes) lighter side of war is a nice alternative to a lot of WWII historical fiction.

I WILL TAKE EVERY BOOK IN THIS SERIES EVER. Mrs Porter was a smidge obnoxious, but I'm sure that is intentional. I love all of these characters and I loved seeing even more of them in this installment, not to mention some happiness coming to Bunty. She deserves it.

I'm A huge fan of Pearce. This is another solid historical fiction by this writer. Can't wait to see what's next!

Cute and quirky. I enjoyed the writing and the story and loved all the characters. Look forward to more. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!

I love this series and the newest didn’t disappoint! Pierce has developed these characters so fully and it feels like I really know them. As usual this is packed with emotions and hope.

Another enjoyable and engrossing book in "The Emmy Lake Chronicles" series! I found myself reading "just a few more pages" before lights out as I become engrossed in the lives of Emmy Lake's life in WWII London. I found the focus on friendship enduring while the historical fiction aspects engaging and interesting, especially the focus on women's experiences during this historical time period and geographic location. I am hopeful this is not the conclusion of a trilogy and that A.J. Pearce will continue to explore these characters. Perhaps a flashback to Guy's earlier journalist career? Fingers crossed! I received a free digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and A. J. Pearce

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Emmy Lake is in charge of a newspaper advice column in London during WWII while her husband is away fighting. Called Yours Cheerfully, it’s very popular with the war weary public. The newspaper is inherited by a spoiled rich woman named Mrs. Porter, who proposes radical changes that will alienate their readers. Can Emmy and her fellow newspaper employees stop her from destroying the paper’s reputation?
4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I have adored the trials and tribulations of Emmy, Bunty, and their friends through three books now. Although the first in the series was my very favorite, all three books have been really good. To me, the best part of these stories is about these friends and their every-day lives - from the food they are eating to the tragedies they encounter. I loved Thelma and her children when they moved into the big house, and I enjoyed their animal adventures.
In the other part of this book, Mrs. Porter has inherited the magazine and she wants to change everything. I'd love to say that Mrs. Porter's cluelessness was unrealistic, but looking around at humanity, it's believable. Seeing the magazine come together to fight the changes was fun, but yup - the friends are my favorites.

Absolutely perfection! A great historical fiction that will draw you in from the first chapter. I highly recommend you check it out.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Such a heartwarming book! I always love her characters. I love this endearing series and can’t wait for the next book.

Having read "Dear Mrs. Bird" and "Your "Cheerfully" I knew this book was going to be delightful. Set in England during World War II, the novels depict hard times at home while the men are at war. We find Emmy Lake happily writing the Yours Cheerfully column for Women's Friend, writing letters to her husband off at war, But things change when Mrs. Porter inherits the magazine...let the chaos begin as Mrs. Porter seeks to make changes to the magazine that will not only make the readers unhappy but Emmy as well. Recommended for sure!!

Returning to the world of Emmy Lake is always a comfort! Thank you AJ Pearce for another heart-warming tale of love and friendship, set in war-torn London. I highly recommend and look forward to book 4 of this series.

Thanks to Scriber and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I had read the first book in this series, Dear Mrs Bird, last year and it was delightful and I"m happy to say this book was the same. It has been wonderful to see the growth in the characters, particuraly the main character Emmy Lake, over the course of these books as they work together on the magazine but also come together to survive WWII in London. I appreciate that while these books feel light hearted, the characters are never fully safe from the Blitz or rations, or any other thing that normal people were dealing with at the time, all with perserverance. Somethings are tied up with a bow and others are not while not feeling overwhelmingly heavy, even as lives are lost.

I would love to read more adventures of this crew especially with the news at the end of the book, I hope there are more to come!

This is the third in the Emmy Lake Chronicles including DEAR MRS BIRD (a favorite of 2019) and YOURS, CHEERFULLY. I do recommend reading the first two books in the series to fully appreciate the story and characters.

Set in London during WWII in the 1940s, Emmy Lake is continuing her job at the Women’s Friend magazine. Emmy is still writing her “Yours, Cheerfully” column answering women’s heartbreaking yet important questions with advice in the friendliest yet appropriate way. She continues to live with her childhood best friend Bunty while her husband is at war. In this novel, their friend Thelma and her children join them while Thelma’s husband is also fighting the war.

Things are going well at the magazine until the staff hears about a new owner of the magazine. When Mrs. Porter arrives at the magazine headquarters to assess the viability of the magazine, her new ideas don’t sit too well with everyone. Mrs. Porter wants to include society wedding stories and dedicate full pages to photographs of her dog. She also finds the letters to Emmy’s advice column to be way too “mis” and puts a stop to answering any of the more depressing letters, though many of the letters pertain to wartime concerns.

As you can imagine, these changes don’t sit well with Emmy or the rest of the staff and frustrations come to a head with Mrs. Porter. Remember, there is also a war going on, and loss hits the Women’s Friend family. A.J. Pearce handles the characters’ emotions with great care, especially when the children are involved. Even though this series is set during the war, it is mostly in the background with a few characters being directly affected throughout the series. But it also reminds the reader that people had to live their lives, continue to raise their families, and work even through rationing, heartbreak, and great despair.

“Don’t worry, Em, we’ll do what all the other women in Britain are doing.”
“What’s that?” I said.
“Cope,” said Bunty.

Leaving Emmy, Bunty, and the Women’s Friend crew behind made me a bit sad at the end of this story. Their witty banter, close-knit friendships, and determination to fight for what they believed in kept me turning the pages. I loved being transported to 1940s London with women I’d be honored to call my friends. I chose to listen to the first two in the series for my own enjoyment, narrated by the talented Amy Popplewell. Receiving this one for review was an honor, especially since the book was already on my to-read list.

“Bunty said you didn’t miss someone any less, you just made room for other things to surround the gap they had left.”

I was SO excited for this book. The others in the series have been awesome and I enjoyed them immensely. This one however, really left a lot to be desired for me. The standout in the first couple of books in the series was the writing. The writing style was unique and absolutely charming. This book was missing the magic the first so books had. I was sad to miss out on that writing style, as it is truly unique and fun to read.

I cried a lot during this book and books normally do not make me emotional. I was surprised it hit me so hard because I have been binging historical fiction but this is a stand out

Emmy Lake and her coworkers work hard on their Women's Friend magazine, bringing news, recipes and everyday advice to those left on the home front. When the publisher dies, Guy assures them all will be well, but the niece left in charge, Mrs. Porter, has a much different vision for the magazine. At home, Bunty and Emmy invite their friend Thelma and her 3 children to live in their upper floor. The kids bring a bit of chaos to their world, and animals in the backyard shed. When I read the first one of Pearce's books, I didn't realize it would be a series. I am always glad to revisit this crowd and see how their lives are faring.