Cover Image: The Girls of Pearl Harbor

The Girls of Pearl Harbor

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Member Reviews

Thank you to #NetGalley for this book.

This is the first book I've read by her and I will be reading her others too.

This was not an easy read since it's set in Pearl Harbor in 1941. Grace and April were sisters and Poppy was their friend who were all nurses heading to Hawaii even before the war. They met Eva who was a nurse on a ship and they all became friends. Tragedy happens to one of them but life goes on.

The atrocities of the war were everywhere and the make shift hospital was unbelievable with the soldiers with their war wounds. It was pretty graphic but I got through it.

Things happen along the way and April and Grace go to the front and it even gets worse.

However, there are happy moments and they all fall in love.

The ending was perfect.

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Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

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I really enjoy reading WWII historical fiction books. The focus of this book was interesting. The story of four nurses pulled me in and had me invested in their lives. These women grew emotionally as they faced tragedy. Their sense of bravery in the face of intense heartache was inspirational. This is definitely a book to put on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Finally a WWII book focusing on Pearl Harbor. After being a WWII fiction slump this book got me out of it. As it the setting was one I've been wanting for WWII fiction for years. I'm a sucker for WWII in the South Pacific and Hawaii. And this one was a page turner.

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This is well done historical fiction that tracks three women who find themselves in the middle of WWII. You will root for them and for their loves but know that it's emotional and not always happy.

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I alternated between my Netgalley ebook and listening to the audio for this one. It's historical fiction, but it had a very prevalent romance element throughout the book. Some of the scenes in this book were fairly graphic in term of the injuries these nurses faced on the battle field and in the hospitals. It was even a little hard to read/listen to from time to time, but I do feel like that made the story more engaging and more realistic. The other major element in this book was the theme of strong women and female friendships - both elements that I typically enjoy in a book and this was no exception. I ended up really enjoying this one and look forward to reading more of Lane's books.

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This was a wonderful historical fiction set during the days of the attack on Pearl Harbor. April and Grace are sisters who have a dear friend Poppy, and the girls go to Hawaii as nurses. They meet Eva who becomes a close friend to them, and Eva is also a nurse. Before long, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and the girls face tragedy, loss, heartache, sadness and grief as they set out to be the best nurses they can be. Through the course of time some of them find happiness again after a long, difficult road.

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Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

The story of Pearl Harbor breaks my heart so I really wanted to dive into a book that featured Pearl Harbor and I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

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A huge thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book!

Here is my review, as posted to Goodreads...

Loved, loved, loved this book! My grandfather was stationed at Schofield during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I grew up listening to his stories about how his idyllic service in Hawaii changed drastically during a pinochle game one day. He stood on the cliffs and watched the planes fly overhead, dropping their bombs, causing so much destruction, death, and heartache, and changing our course in history forever.
I really enjoyed reading about this from the point of view of the nurses who tended their patients in the aftermath of the bombing. It was hard for me to get through some of the nursing and surgery scenes...especially all the amputations...but beyond that I loved the dynamics between characters, their development, and the way the story links Pearl Harbor, North Africa, and Oregon. Such a well written gem of a WW2 novel, and very highly recommended!!!

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Unfortunately I did not get on with this book and therefore cannot rate it very highly. I really struggled to connect with the characters and storyline.

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An amazing story of nurses during the start of WW2, and the destruction of Pearl Harbor. The story is alive with the loves, lives and losses of a handful of nurses, and what they saw and lived through. Emotions abound.

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Thank you to Netgalley for this e-copy in return for my honest review. I love historical fiction and especially books set during WW2. A story about friendships and strength. Engaging, relatable characters.

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This was a moving story and one I was hoping I would enjoy as I love stories set in the war and this one enticed me as it was around Pearl Harbour.
I was not disappointed. A moving and at times heart breaking historical read I found myself feeling the emotions the characters felt as I got to know them, the story starts off very simple but as the girls grow so does the story. A brilliant read.

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A highly emotional storyline. I love reading stories about women who played such vital roles during wartime. Some parts were a bit predictable but overall it was a great story. I cried at parts and cheered the women on. Would definitely recommend.

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

The Girls of Pearl Harbor was a historical fiction novel.
The storyline was unique, and easy to follow.
This was a story about sisterhood and friendships alike.
The characters were amazing. I found it easy to relate to them.
The book was a page-turner and unique.
I'd love to read more by this author.

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It’s late 1941 and four nurses arrive in Hawaii to discover a paradise island where they feel sure they will be safe so far away from the war raging in Europe. Soon though their idyll is shattered, friends have been killed and they are faced with the true horrors of what bullets and bombs do to a human body. They soon discover what true devastation is, both physically and emotionally and each has to find a way to carry on, or give up.

This is one of the best, although graphic historical novels I’ve ever read and I simply could not put it down! It’s definitely one of my best reads of 2019 and I now can’t wait to read the rest of Soraya M Lane’s novels. Addictive, horrifying, heartbreaking, but brilliant. Loved it.

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The story of four nurses who faced the attack on Pearl Harbor and their deployment to Northern Africa afterwards. They lost people they loved, but had to find the courage to go on without them and treat 100s of wounded men in Africa. The story touches on the inequality of nurses to doctors and the relationship of sisters. The descriptions of the conditions they were in trying to provide help to horrifically injured soldiers and sailors in Pearl Harbor and Africa are incredibly moving.

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I love historical fiction and I really enjoyed this book. The title characters are nurses in Pearl Harbor, and when they arrived in Oahu they had a wonderful time in the tropics. Of course, we know what happened next and the nurses are stretched to the limit taking care of victims from the attack. It describes how their friendships got them through those hard times.

Highly recommend.

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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"The Girls of Pearl Harbor" by Soraya M. Lane took me on a journey full of sorrow and courage. It was a story of four girls: Grace, Poppy, Eva and April, that were nurses at Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941. The novel showed their different fates after the attack at Pearl Harbor. They faced death, heartbreak, danger, evil men and lack of sanitation. They were determined to save lives and do their work as nurses the best they could. Grace and April were sisters with some unsolved issues between them, but it was nice to see how their relationship matured later. The war destroyed their lives, but also made them see who they really were, believe in their abilities and become truly remarkable women.

There were also elements of romance in the novel, because Grace, Eva and April found their sweethearts during the war. I am glad that the author ended the book on a positive note. After so much death and misery it was amazing that these three girls managed to find love among the ruins of their old lives.

I received "The Girls of Pearl Harbor" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

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“The Girls of Pearl Harbor” by Soraya M. Lane was very good novel about the attack on Pearl Harbor in the eyes of three U.S. Army nurses. April and Grace are sisters and Poppy is their good friend. All three decided to become nurses and join US Army Nurse Corps before any military action takes place. They are stationed at Pearl Harbor ministering to the soldiers and sailors who are stationed there. April has always wanted to be a nurse. Her sister, Grace, hates the sight of blood and wonders why she thought she needed to follow her sister and best friend Poppy into the Corps.

All three cannot believe their good luck in being stationed in beautiful Hawaii and enjoying the sand and sea and beautiful country. All this turns around when they are attacked on December 7, 1941. They see the horror of the attack and live the aftermath of broken bodies, dead bodies, and destruction. April and Grace go on to serve in the African campaign and could never have imagined the horror and bloodshed of war.

I loved this book, as I do all of Ms. Lane’s books. I also love the historic era that she writes about. It’s my favorite

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