I absolutely LOVED the author's previous two books (When We Were Brave and A View Across the Rooftops), so I was excited to read this one. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite. The story was good, but it felt like things were missing at times. Not sure how I feel about the way Agnes was handled. Plus that storyline seemed strange. Would she really do that? It seemed so extreme. I liked Lizzie, Julia and Diana but I didn't love them. Barrage balloons were new to me, so I found that interesting. I thought Lizzie's search for her daughter would have been a bigger story in the book.

Recommend the book, especially if you enjoy historical fiction with some romance. The book is full of love, friendship, forgiveness and so much more. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Omg this book made me cry. And that is a good thing, I love it when a book can make me feel an emotion. Why did the book made me cry? It was about love during ww2 how you had to let someone go to save them. It was about the strong friendship between women. Where there is such a strong Bond that they Will always support each other.. it is about growing up . Realizing
You have to live your own life no matter what other people think of you. A must read book . Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest review

This is my first book by this author, but I am going to check out her other books. I enjoy reading books about WWII and this one told a story from a side I hadn't read about much. It takes place during the bombings of London. The damage and heartbreak, but also the strength and work and togetherness that arise in these hard difficult times.

It tells a story of three women and how their lives are forever changed because of those months. It is a story about friendship, growing up, loss, love and determination.

I would recommend this book.

I'm a big historical fiction fan and always love learning little things in books like this. The description that was given to the book though was not exactly what the whole story was about in my opinion. It sounded like it would be based on just one character but there were really 3 characters that the book would jump around too. I enjoyed the characters but felt myself craving more of their stories, not just quick descriptions. I wanted more depth to the novel and find out more about these women. The novel held my attention in the beginning but then it started to feel like important events were happening in a chapter and then be done in the next. It started to feel a little rushed and I was unsure what direction this novel was going.

I'm giving it a 2.5/5 though because even though I did enjoy the history throughout and learnt new things (I had no idea about The Blitz that happened in London), I just felt like this novel could have had a lot more depth and connection to the characters as well as sticking to one story line.

#UnderaSkyonFire#NetGalley
Big thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Suzanne Kelman for an ARC to review.
First of all this book should be awarded more than 5 stars honestly.
I love reading historical fiction especially WWII books, I read so many but this one really touched me especially with the author's note relating how her own grandmother inspired one of the characters story.
Lizzie, Diana and Julia forge a remarkable bond of friendship during the London blitz horrible era. Each facing her own struggle, each serving the country by whatever she could offer. No job is insignificant, no effort is wasted... Julia with her typing, Lizzie guiding the planes, Diana managing the Balloon. All efforts collaborating towards their freedom and ultimate goal.
Men went to the war to fight leaving behind women to fight their own kind of war. A bitter sweet story, you will laugh, you will absolutely cry your heart out but above all else your heart will be filled with hope and unstoppable determination.
Under a sky on fire, you will see how the people continued to live their everyday life under the daily attack of deadly bombs. Under the attack of the unknown, seizing any slight chance of normality and happiness. My heart ached most as every war story with the children stories and how families ended up torn apart. And as Lizzie pondered, nobody is winning no matter how it ends, both sides must have a widow grieving her loss.

{And Julia, we're going to be okay. I promise you, we're all going to be all right. You know why? Because we're women, that's why. And even though some men will never take us seriously in this war, we have a secret weapon. The one thing that those men have little appreciation for because it's a bit unglamorous, and that's our spirit of endurance. Women are experts at holding on. It's woven into the very fabric of our being through centuries of just...holding on. It might not sound as impressive as valour, but it is that grit and determination that will keep this nation together}

A 10 Star book in every aspect! It has intrigue, romance,action,drama, and twists and of course a sacrifice, but there is always a little bit of a happily ever after ending. The ending may not want what we want it to be, but I think in this particular book it’s for the growth of the characters!

Lizzie and the other women start off soft and by the end the War has changed them in so many ways! Even Jack the pilot has grown in his character and the way he was able to see Lizzie.

The author intertwined these ladies in so many aspects that she grows the readers to discover what is on the next page! I personally could not put the book down until I finished it. I cried and commiserated with choices that were out of their hands. It was part of there jobs and that’s the way it was and a person has to compartmentalize things into a box and I believe the author did a phenomenal job in relating that.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a 10 star read!

Friends for Life

A very heartwarming story of friendship. Three young women working for the war effort in London meet and become friends for life. Lizzie from Scotland left with a secret for a new life, Diana joined against her father's wishes and Julia's husband was somewhere out there fighting the war and her children sent away to the country. They bond together and eventually end up living with Julia .

These women lived through the worst of the war called "The Blitz". Fifty six days of bombing raid over London out of fifty seven days. They learned to trust and lean on each other. They were there for each other through bad news and good. When Lizzie rescues a small child from the disaster following a bombing they all bond with her to provide her a home until her family is found.

They remained friends all their lives and always remembered those days and years of the war. They got together once a year to talk about their bond of friendship, The people they'd lost, the ones they'd loved, and the women they had become.

This was a wonderful read, I loved the characters and the history. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Suzanne Kelman, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

London is burning. Thousands of people are dying or misplaced. Interwoven among these tragic years is the compelling story of three young women. It's a gut-wrenching journey through heartbreak, lost love and a bond that will keep them together forever. Freedom comes to replace the fires and bombs with peaceful sunsets.

I have read a lot of books set in one of the 2 world wars and frankly had gotten tired of this genre. However I have now read 2 of this author's books set in WW2 and now I am hooked again. This one was set in London during the blitz bombings. It really opened my eyes to what life would have been like living through the daily bombings and having to spend hours each day in bomb shelters. I also found it very interesting to read about how the women left behind as the men joined the military stepped up and took on jobs that many of them would have never imagined being able to do. Lots of human interest, nice romance, some happy and some sad - much like real life. I would definitely recommend this book (and this author).

Under a Sky on Fire is a historical drama set in World War II London during the height of the Blitz.

The story follows three women as they embark on their own war efforts on the home-front line, together with the story of Lizzie, who comes down from the Highlands with another motive too - to find her adopted child.

This was an epic book, I really enjoyed the depictions of life in London during the Blitz. and it shone a light on some parts of WW2 which I did not previously know about, for example the descriptions of Churchill's war rooms.

I felt the author captured the blitz spirit perfectly, together with the realities of living through a war. Clearly a lot of work had gone into researching and capturing it.

I've given this book 4 stars as I thought it was excellent but that there were almost too many strands running through it (eg I'm not sure the storyline about the mother-in-law was entirely necessary), but all in all found it a good easy read which captured my attention. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of three women involved in the War effort during the London Blitz, each of them with a different job to do. Lizzie Mackenzie has joined the WAAF from her home in the Scottish Highlands, and meets Diana Downes, who is also joining the WAAF, on the train into London. Lizzie is a Plotter, keeping track of the incoming German planes and the position of our defending pilots. Diana works with the Barrage balloon teams, a dangerous job where the balloons are used to defend the London skies. They meet Julia Sullivan, who works in the War Rooms in Whitehall, just after she has waved her husband off to war and evacuated their children. They are all in a position where they need the support of each other, and it’s lovely to see how their friendships develop and how they all become so supportive of each other over such a short period of time!

The storyline is great, showing different areas of the war which are rarely seen. The jobs that all three women have are so important, yet so often not recognised, and I loved hearing how barrage balloons worked and finding out what a Plotter was! My favourite job of the three women was Julia’s work in the War Rooms. Subject to such secrecy, Julia’s role as one of the secretary’s the War Cabinet, and often Winston Churchill himself, was fascinating. From other books, films and reports from that time, it was also very well researched and written with historical accuracy.

Aside from the storyline of their roles in the war, the ladies’ personal lives were also prominent in the plot. They all shared emotions of loved ones fighting in the war, and the stories of children evacuated or left without parents. The damage caused by the bombing campaign was shockingly described, and I felt the same overwhelming sadness and upset as I read as the characters did when faced with so much devastation and so many casualties. The title of ‘Under a Sky on Fire” couldn’t have been more suited for this book, and the storyline gave me great images of the dark skies above the Thames filled with both enemy and allied planes, barrage balloons and the surrounding areas lit up by the fire causing from the falling bombs. The characters and their loved ones showed the true story of what the people of the towns and cities across England faced, right through the love and loss suffered, victories and defeats and the friendships and relationships formed.

I love wartime reads and really enjoyed this book. It takes you right into the heart of wartime London, experiencing all what the characters did, moving me to tears on several occasions. This wasn’t just a book about the war however, but a heart-warming and emotional read into the lives of the women left behind. I would have loved to heard more of Lizzie, Diana and Julia’s stories after the war ends, but the epilogue does nicely finish of their stories for them! I would definitely recommend this book. It will grip you from the first page and not let you go until the last. Filled with drama, suspense and sadness, this book will have you thanking the women who worked in such roles over and over again!

True and accurate historical fiction at its best!
An amazing story of the bravery of women during the war. Stories of their contributions to the war efforts while the men were off fighting. To read this story is to feel as though you were actually there during the blitz, the war, the devastation.. I loved this book so much.

Thank you to Net Galley for this advance preview.... my review is my own and is in no way required by the publisher.

three young women, for different parts of Britain are in London to "do their bit" for the war effort. Julia Sullivan has just seen her husband John off to France then sends her 2 children to stay with an aunt in the Cotswold's, where she hopes they will be safe if London is bombed. Lizzie Mackenzie, from an isolated island off the coast of Scotland is in the big city for the first time in her life, attempting to make a fresh start. Diana Downes lives with her Mum and Dad in Birmingham, her Dad still dealing with the horrors of his service in the trenches of WW1.. These 3 women find each other through serendipity and form a friendship, which they will need as the Blitz begins. Lizzie is assigned to work the maps that allow the RAF to track the incoming Luftwaffe and strategically deploy the RAF. Diana is assigned to a barrage balloon crew, with the difficult job of keeping the huge and hard to maneuver object in place to protect London. Julia gets assigned to the typing pool in the Prime Minister's War bunker and ends up typing some of Churchill's most iconic speeches. During the course of the war these women deal with fear, uncertainty and learn to really depend on each other and support each other when tragedy happens. They also learn to move on and discover within themselves an inner strength they didn't know they had. By the end of the book Britain wins the war and these three friends pick up their lives and take the first steps into the future, knowing they have each other all the way. There are so many stories set during WW2, but I love to read them and this was a lovely story of the power of friendship and women supporting each other during one of the most difficult times in history. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is a fictional account during the time of the London Blitz attacks. Lizzie and Diana are two young women who joined the WAAF corps, both for different reasons. A chance meeting with Julia, a wife and mother, begins a friendship that lasts through the rest of the war until many years later.

I enjoy historical fiction, learning more about what happened during those times that wasn't taught in social studies class. This book gets under the dry history and uncovers the real emotions and challenges facing women during the war, while they were left at home when their men were off fighting. In this case, all 3 women also held important roles in the war effort.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in the genre, and women's relationship fiction in general.

Under a Sky on Fire is another amazing read from Suzanne Kelman. I read her previous two books and loved them.
The story is centered around three women in London during the blitz. They meet by chance and end up being the absolute best of friends. Joining up and doing their bit for the war effort. Lizzie who left her Aunt and Uncle in Scotland hiding a dark secret, becomes a filter plotter keeping track of the planes whilst out on missions. While doing this. she meets Jack who is a pilot and falls in love.
There is Diana that has comes from Birmingham, goes to work on the Barrage balloons.
There is also Julia who lives in London. Her husband is a soldier who doing his bit in the war and her two kids Tom and Molly are being sent to the Cotswolds to get away from the bombing raids of London.
This is another excellent read from the author. I have read many books in this period, but I like how Suzanne Kelman always depicts the story with a different perspective. This time in the women’s point of view. What the women did for the war effort and the hardships they endured. I never heard of Barrage balloons so after reading this I searched more on the internet just to see what went on. This is also an emotional story between the three women about the loss and the sacrifices they had to make. 5 stars from me.

Under a Sky on Fire by Suzanne Kelman was a great read about the lives of three women during the London Blitz.

Lizzie, from Scotland, decides to join up but has another motive for going to London. She meets a pilot and falls in love, hoping that they will be able to live the rest of their lives together. Lizzie becomes a filter plotter who keeps track of planes during bombing raids.

Diana, from Birmingham, wants to do her part in the war. After her training, she is assigned to working on the barrage balloons that are released during air raids.

Julia, living in London with her husband and two children, has to be strong for her family. She sees her husband off to war and then decides to send her children to the country where they will be safe. She works for Mr. Churchill as a secretary.

The three of them meet and become very close friends who bolster each other when each goes through heartache.

I enjoyed reading this book showing the behind the scenes of normal people who lived during a frightening time. I thought Ms. Kelman did a masterful job of creating events in such a way that I felt that I was there.

Under a Sky on Fire is a story of tenacity, endurance, love and friendship.

Above all it is a story of bravery during World War 2.

Lizzie, Julia and Diana all meet by chance as they join the war effort and they become fast friends who share hardship, good times , laughter and tears.

I can't imagine living in London during the Blitz and being bombed every night.

I felt like I was in the shelters with them.

The British people were remarkable in their strength and fortitude, all of which is portrayed by the three women.

Suzanne Kelman is a born story teller and I for one am a big fan and can't wait for her next book.

Please take time to read the authors notes, they add to the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me read such a heartwarming yet heartbreaking story.

Under A Sky on Fire is a wonderful novel, focusing on an amazing friendship between 3 women. During World War II, and the terrifying time to be living in London during the Blitz, these 3 women experience some horrible and also beautiful moments. Although sometimes predictable, it was still an engrossing read. A perfect book for those who love historical fiction.

UNDER A SKY ON FIRE by SUZANNE KELMAN is a book you will not be able to put down! The story takes place in London during World War 11, and gives us a spine chilling account of Hitler's relentless bombing of the city, against the backdrop of the equally relentless courage of the British.
The three main characters, Lizzie and Diana, who have come from Scotland and Birmingham respectively to join the WAAF's, and Julia, a wife and mother from Brixton who works in the War Office, form an incredibly strong bond which is truly inspiring.
I do not want to tell you any more excepting to say that it is a well written book with a gripping story, and one you do not want to miss!
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

London is on fire, under the Blitz of the German Luftwaffe it is raining bombs. Where do you go, where can you escape to? With many people sending their children out of the city to safer places in the countryside, Lizzie Mackenzie is leaving her Scottish village and running to London. Why? Five years ago she gave up her illegitimate daughter and now she is looking for her in London, hoping she is safe. This heart wrenching novel takes you to many levels of emotion. Love, sacrifice, along with the heartbreak of hope that she finds her child, you will be taken on a journey you won't soon forget. Every book I have read about WWII and the lives of so many people that have been destroyed, has definitely been an "eye opener." This book is no exception, told from the perspective of a mother looking for her child (whether illegitimate or not), it is a page turner. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.